Netflix May Replace Stadia with Its Own Cloud Gaming Service
Netflix has been actively pursuing the gaming industry for just over a year, and the company is now continuing to focus on this direction.
Several companies have directly explored the concept of streaming video games over the internet to players in the past. Now, the industry leader in streaming services, Netflix, is also considering giving it a shot. Netflix’s Vice President of Gaming, Mike Verdu, indicated that the company was “seriously exploring a cloud gaming offering.”
We’ll approach this the same way as we did with mobile — start small, be humble, be thoughtful — but it is a step we think we should take,” Verdu added. “The extension into the cloud is really about reaching the other devices where people experience Netflix.”
Similar moves have been made by Google’s Stadia and Amazon’s Luna in an effort to sell video games that can be enjoyed without the need for a high-end gaming PC or a console. The problem is that the general public hasn’t widely adopted these services. Google has announced that it will end Stadia’s service in January. According to Verdu, the business model behind these services was to blame for their failures, not the technology itself.
He did, however, indicate that Netflix is expanding its efforts in game production by building an in-house studio in the area around Los Angeles. This is the company’s sixth studio; just last month, Netflix opened a branch in Helsinki, Finland, led by a former Zynga GM.
Verdu also shared that former Blizzard Entertainment producer Chacko Sonny will be leading Netflix’s upcoming California studio. As the legal disputes between Activision and Blizzard continued to mount in September 2021, Sonny decided to leave Blizzard.
Netflix has stated 14 games are now being developed within its own studios, with an additional 35 games already available on the platform. Verdu claims to have 55 games currently “in flight.” In addition to games based on licenced properties like “SpongeBob SquarePants,” there are also games based on original intellectual property like “Stranger Things.”
